From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.science.mathematics.categories/5389 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Greg Meredith Newsgroups: gmane.science.mathematics.categories Subject: Re: A well kept secret? Date: Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:52:27 -0800 Message-ID: References: Reply-To: Greg Meredith NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1261356649 23969 80.91.229.12 (21 Dec 2009 00:50:49 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:50:49 +0000 (UTC) To: John Baez , categories@mta.ca Original-X-From: categories@mta.ca Mon Dec 21 01:50:42 2009 Return-path: Envelope-to: gsmc-categories@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from mailserv.mta.ca ([138.73.1.1]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1NMWTx-0002hW-Pa for gsmc-categories@m.gmane.org; Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:50:41 +0100 Original-Received: from Majordom by mailserv.mta.ca with local (Exim 4.61) (envelope-from ) id 1NMW6y-0002v3-SZ for categories-list@mta.ca; Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:26:57 -0400 In-Reply-To: Original-Sender: categories@mta.ca Precedence: bulk Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.science.mathematics.categories:5389 Archived-At: Dear John, et al, If this seems overly optimistic, it's worth thinking about calculus, which > in Newton's day was regarded as comprehensible only by a few experts. > i totally agree! Back when i was pushing the process algebras into the corporate software sector i would regularly "shame" exec/engineers who claimed the formalism too complex by demonstrating that i could teach the =CF=80-calculus to 13 year-old's and they could use it, fruitfully. There a= re branches of mathematics that really require steady application to a steep learning curve for an extended period of time, but there are many -- computation and category theory being among them -- where there is a core that really is accessible to anyone with a certain penchant for abstraction= . Engaged and engaging teachers and practitioners are a key ingredient -- without which many go hungry at the table of mathematics. Best wishes, --greg On Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 2:16 PM, John Baez wrote: > Dear categorists - > > At 11:09 PM 12/17/2009, John Baez wrote: > > > >> I think it's premature to introduce category theory in the undergrad > >> curriculum. > >> > > > On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 2:25 PM, Ellis D. Cooper >wrote: > > > > I think there are enough very interesting simple examples of categorie= s > > that the language and diagrams could be introduced to high school > students. > > > > I agree! Just to be clear: by "premature" I wasn't trying to say that > undergraduates or even high school students are too young to learn and > profit from category theory. I meant that there aren't enough high schoo= l > teachers who understand category theory well enough to teach it - except > for > isolated experiments here and there. > > Math trickles down. Right now we need more category theory taught at the > graduate level, so someday enough professors will understand it well enou= gh > to teach it at the undergrad level, so that eventually enough high school > teachers will know enough to teach it at the high school level. > > If this seems overly optimistic, it's worth thinking about calculus, whic= h > in Newton's day was regarded as comprehensible only by a few experts. > > Best, > jb > [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]